The Heaven of Your Natural Afterlife: a More Revealing Look*

The theory of a natural afterlife defines a dreamlike, timeless heaven. Though hard for humans to envision, it has many very desirable attributes.

Jacob’s heavenly dream, Genesis 28:10-19 | Source

Frankly, some readers of my previous article, Perhaps Heaven Is Your Never-Ending Dream and Natural Afterlife (HubPages, 2013), may have thought I was trying to sell them an empty bottle of expensive perfume. That article presented the theory of a natural afterlife and provided evidence supporting its plausibility. This theory describes an afterlife, possibly a heaven, which is hard to envision and thus hard to appreciate, perhaps seeming a bit underwhelming to some. In this article I provide a more revealing look at this heaven so that, hopefully, it’s easier to envision and can be seen as very desirable.

Overview: Basically a Timeless, Everlasting, Dreamlike NDE

The theory of a natural afterlife is stated below.

Your natural afterlife is the dreamlike near-death experience (NDE) from which you never awake—essentially, relative to your perception, a never-ending experience (NEE).

The theory, which is also called the NEE theory, doesn’t specify what this NEE and natural afterlife will be or even guarantee you’ll have one. But to put a positive spin on the theory, substitute “heaven” for “natural afterlife” and call it the NEE theory of heaven. How the NDE becomes an NEE is briefly explained below; however, if you need to be more convinced of natural afterlife’s plausibility, you should read my previous article or a later one referenced in the notes at the end of this article. This later article argues that the NEE theory may someday be proven but for now its validity is nearly certain.

The afterlife the NEE theory proposes is natural, versus supernatural, because it requires no “leap of faith” from what science knows or theorizes about our natural world. It does, however, require some imagination to envision.

What is it like to never wake up from a dream? None of us have ever experienced this. Suppose you’re having a dreamlike near-death experience (NDE)**, believing you’re in heaven, but then you die. Consequently, when all mortal material-based consciousness ends with death, you never consciously realize that your NDE has ended, i.e., that you’re not in heaven. You don’t “see” the NDE screen go blank! Although your NDE does indeed physically end, from your mind’s perspective you’re in your NDE forever. So, basically, an NEE heaven is an NDE that with death becomes for you both timeless and everlasting.

Major states and transitions in life--an abstraction where dreaming and the NDE are given more prominence. A state is represented as an oval and a transition as a directed line, labelled with an event that causes the transition. | Source

Defining and desirable attributes

• Dreamlike

• Blissful

• Timeless

• Worry-free

• Everlasting

• Personal

• Intense

• Divine

• Spiritual

• Fulfilling

Attributes of the NEE Heaven

Is this NEE heaven the kind most people expect? No. But can it be? Is it desirable enough to be? The remainder of this article attempts to persuade you that the answer to both questions is “Yes”. To do so, we’ll examine in detail the NEE heaven’s possible attributes, which are listed in the adjoining table. I say “we” because you will need to use your imagination.

Some of these attributes may not be achieved in the way you might expect. All of them, except one, are possible via the natural afterlife described by the NEE theory. That is, they don’t depend on a belief in the supernatural. The lone exception is, of course, the divine attribute—which is achieved via an easy “add-on” to the theory, i.e., a religious faith.

Dreamlike, Timeless, and Everlasting

We examine the dreamlike, timeless, and everlasting attributes together since they collectively define the basic nature of the NEE heaven. Understanding this nature is the key to appreciating the natural afterlife.

Understanding

The NEE heaven occurs within a dreaming or dreamlike altered state of consciousness. An afterlife within such a state of consciousness may be partly the reason why this state exists.

But how is an afterlife possible within such a state when the brain is dead? The NEE theory hinges on the assumption of an imperceptible death—i.e., the inability of knowing the moment of death and thus not knowing that an NDE has ended. We know that one can be unaware of falling asleep in going from a Conscious to an Unconscious, Dreamless state when watching a movie. Therefore, the odds seem excellent that one is unaware of death in going from a Unconscious, Dying state to an After-life state when having an NDE. With death, as with falling asleep, one simply loses their sense of time, not their sense of self or their awareness of the present moment. With the NEE, this is the final NDE moment.

Before deeming the NEE heaven worthy of further consideration, one must understand its timeless and everlasting aspect. If you don’t, an Appendix given at the end of this article uses a thought experiment that should help.

Appreciating

With respect to general expectations and desirability, the timeless attribute of the NEE heaven is the most difficult to appreciate. Although many believe in a heaven running on human-time, if one believes that God is not governed by human-time, one should not expect heaven to be. Also, some physicists now think that even within our universe, time is not a fundamental property, but rather a human illusion that emerges from a universe that at its core is timeless. Thus, one might expect that the death of human brain enabled consciousness would mean the death of time—more precisely, one’s sense of time. Actually, our human sense of time would be quite undesirable in heaven. Given its generally expected eternal and perfect-world attributes, time would likely create incredible boredom—especially if no decisions could be made lest they be imperfect.

No events occur in this timeless heaven, but who needs events? First of all, you won’t know that nothing more will happen, and thus you won’t miss a thing. Essentially, you’re left in a state of unspoiled anticipation of more heavenly moments to come. Second, is it life’s events that give us pleasure or is it the feelings aroused by these events? We are always told to “live in the moment.” Well, the NEE heaven can be a moment when you feel the supreme pleasure of knowing you’re in heaven forever. Once this happens, should you really need or want more?

In the NEE heaven, an eternity of human time passes by without your knowledge just as it did before you were born. But why should you care if indeed, unlike your before-life, you remain in a static state of “wonder, love, and contentment” as described in my previous article?

Intense

Imagine your most intense dreams, the ones that seem all too real. Most likely, the intensity of your heavenly dreamlike NDE and thus your NEE heaven is even greater.

Such intensity is supported by what some scientists theorize based on research about the brain and NDEs—and given the NEE theory, about NEEs. Andrew Newberg, a professor in radiology at the University of Pennsylvania, speculates that when one dies, two parts of the brain that normally work in opposition instead cooperate “giving a person the sensation … of seeing things vividly, including memories of important people and past events.” See Can Science Explain Heaven? by Lisa Miller (Newsweek, March 25, 2010).

This same article states that scientists have claimed since the 1980s that NDEs may result from a “physiological self-defense mechanism” that kicks in near death. The brain naturally releases protective chemicals to guard against damage during trauma. These chemicals are known to trigger intense hallucinations, or dreams, having features similar to NDEs and to those induced by a stiff dose of the party drug ketamine.

Spiritual

In your dreams, are you there physically or spiritually? Obviously, you aren’t there physically. You and others—whether deities, humans (deceased or not), or other creatures—are in your dreams only in essence, i.e., in spirit. The same is true for NDEs. Thus the NEE heaven is spiritual.

This means that physical handicaps and ailments can be left behind. You could be the person you wish to be and also see others as you wish them to be. Could one dare say that it’s your soul that survives via your NEE?

Blissful

The NEE heaven is wonderful, delightful, idyllic, perfect, peaceful, pleasurable, enjoyable, harmonious, joyful, ecstatic, and of course heavenly. These are many of the synonyms listed for “blissful” in a thesaurus. The many books and articles written by individuals about their NDEs attest to the use of these adjectives to describe the NEE heaven.

On person in trying to grasp the NEE heaven described it as a “blissful now.” It is a blissful moment that’s eternal. Nothing can or needs to happen that will improve upon it.

Since the NEE heaven is an eternal, blissful moment, no decisions need be made. No decisions and no events mean that no evil can occur. Thus the philosophical inconsistencies related to free-will, evil, and desirability inherent in the traditional view of heaven simply do not exist for the NEE heaven.

Worry-free

An NEE heaven that is blissful should also be worry-free. Specifically though, the NEE heaven is the best of your pleasant dreams. In such dreams real-life worries are forgotten. Also, those who publicize their heavenly NDEs mention nothing about worry.

Moreover, a timeless and thus eventless heaven makes for a worry-free heaven. You won’t be looking down to see events happening “below” as some may envision. Thus you’ll be spared the worry and anxiety that likely would come from seeing unpleasant, earthly events.

Being both perfect (see above) and worry-free, the NEE heaven is a paradise that again, as far as you know, you will never leave.

The NEE heaven is personalized for each individual. | Source

Personal

In my previous article I described the NEE heaven as distributive (versus centralized). This term is often used in computer science. Here, however, I use the term “personal.” The NEE heaven is personalized to provide a heaven that is just right for you.

Who or what does the personalization? If you believe it is God, see “Divine” below. If not, it could be personalized, as is any dream, based on your particular memories and beliefs.

These memories are based on a lifetime of conscious experiences. They include visions of your loved ones, those already deceased and those still alive. Many people have reported seeing loved ones in their NDEs.

Your beliefs include your religious beliefs, especially your beliefs about heaven and the type of God you expect to meet there. If you don’t believe in a God, your NEE heaven could reflect the positive feelings you have towards your life and an experience that makes you happy.

One benefit of personalization is that you may not see the multitude of people with whom you must share heaven. I for one don’t always enjoy a crowd.

A personal NEE heaven provides for meeting loved ones (maybe not as angels but in spirit). | Source

Divine

The NEE heaven can be seen as divine, meaning it is “controlled by a transcendent being or beings.” Whether this is true, however, is based totally on one’s religious or spiritual faith and thus represents a faith-based, divine “add-on” to the NEE theory.

For example, the theory can be seen as very compatible with a belief in God and Heaven. The NEE heaven is given by God since he has created in humans, perhaps via evolution, the ability to dream and have NDEs and the inability to know the moment of death. He has also created, if certain scientific hypotheses about NDEs are true, human brains that produce NDEs when shutting down. At death God delivers us into his hands, his spiritual realm, via these NDEs. The content of the NDE, thus the NDE heaven, is controlled by God just as a central computer system controls assess to a global database. The system distributes to each user work station a view of the database content that is personalized to a particular user’s needs. Similarly, at near death God plants into one’s mind a view of the totality of Heaven that is personalized to their needs. Possibly, this personalization may be necessary because only God can comprehend the boundless whole of heaven, which is beyond human understanding.

However, if “with God all things are possible” [Mat. 19:26], the NEE heaven could be a mere “waiting room” into an even more majestic heaven that only God can reveal to us. This view makes two seemingly contradictory Christian beliefs consistent.

The heavenly revelation occurs not at death but only later upon Christ’s second coming.

Heaven awaits us immediately upon death as in Jesus’ words to a criminal hanging beside him on the cross: “today you will be with me in Paradise” [Luke 23:43].

A totally different view of the NEE heaven is possible for those who are less religious yet believe in a spiritual dimension to our world where individual consciousness, i.e., the soul, survives death. Here, the frozen final NDE moment, which is the NEE heaven, might be seen as a resting place for souls, which perhaps later will to be reincarnated into another being.

God gives to individuals a personalized view of the boundless totality of heaven. | Source

In Conclusion: Fulfilling

I believe that not only is the NEE heaven plausible but it is fulfilling. Here, I have tried to show the latter by more thoroughly examining with you its defining and desirable attributes.

Yet, whether it is fulfilling to you likely hinges on one question. Are you willing to accept that heaven may be a timeless state rather than a place in time? If you are, than you have smelled the fragrance of that expensive perfume and know that the bottle is indeed full.

Notes

* - This article was the second written on the natural afterlife and has been updated only slightly, mostly to reflect some revised terminology. For a more comprehensive, in-depth, and scholarly article on the natural afterlife, including a near proof of its existence, see The Theory of a Natural Afterlife: A Newfound, Real Possibility for What Awaits Us at Death. It can be accessed as originally published at http://jcer.com/index.php/jcj/article/view/618/632, or a postprint version with some revisions is available at ResearchGate.net by clicking on its title and at academia.edu. A more recent, yet unpublished article on the natural afterlife, The Theory of a Natural Eternal Consciousness: The Psychological Basis for a Natural Afterlife, generalizes the theory of a natural afterlife giving it a stronger psychological basis. The article posits a non-supernatural, timeless and eternal consciousness that in the mind of the dying person survives death. The experience can range from near-nothingness to a natural afterlife. In deducing a natural eternal consciousness, based on empirical truths, the article “proves” the theory of a natural afterlife. A preprint version of the unpublished article is available at ResearchGate.net by clicking on its title and at academia.edu.

** - Here NDEs are not differentiated from end-of-life dreams as only the dreamlike aspects and intense reality of NDEs are relevant to the theory of a natural afterlife. In fact, in older versions of this article, what here is called a never-ending experience (NEE) was called a never-ending dream (NED). Indeed, end-of-life dreams may also provide the basis and content for the natural afterlife.

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Appendix: The Movie Watching Thought Experiment

Assumptions. You are watching a movie. To simplify and make a proper analogy, assume you as the viewer fall asleep and awake unhesitatingly and sleep very soundly without dreaming. Also, assume the video device never breaks down and your body’s stamina, e.g., its nutritional needs, and comfort are immaterial. That is, the device and body are unaffected by time.

For each scenario of this thought experiment, imagine you get to a movie scene where you’re absolutely captivated, inspired, fulfilled, and overjoyed at what you’re watching. It’s by far the most thrilling moment you’ve ever experienced in a movie. This moment includes your eager anticipation of more to come. Call it the Most Marvelous Movie (MMM) moment. Now we examine four scenarios.

Scenario 1. Normally you would never fall asleep at this time, but you do. A few minutes later you awake. Recalling the MMM moment and seeing what’s now on the screen, you realize you must have fallen asleep. You’ve likely had a similar experience before, dozing off and not realizing it until you wake up.

States for movie and viewer (ovals) and state changing events (directed lines) | Source

For the three remaining scenarios, instead of falling asleep on your own, unknown to you, someone hits the Pause button. Pretend this button not only controls the movie but you as well. The movie is frozen, and you are now instantly and unknowingly unconscious—i. e., sound asleep. The remaining scenarios differ on what happens next. The diagram above depicts the possible states and transitions for both movie and viewer.

Scenario 2. After a few minutes someone hits the Resume button, which controls both the movie and you. You instantly regain consciousness and see the movie continuing exactly from where it left off. Will you even know you had fallen asleep? No! Let’s say a few hours had elapsed before the Resume was hit. Does the amount of elapsed time between Pause and Resume really matter? Again, recalling our assumption about the endurance of body and device, no!

Scenario 3. No one ever hits Resume. As far as you know, you're still in that MMM moment. And, you'll never awake to discover otherwise. For you, time has ceased. You won't sense nothingness. There's just no time for it.

Scenario 4. Someone immediately hits the Stop button killing the movie. Again, no one ever hits Resume. You'll never notice when the screen goes blank. Others will, but you won't because you’re unconscious.

The only thing you'll be aware of (since your sleep is sound and dreams aren’t allowed) is that MMM moment. For you, it's timeless. And, you won't ever lose your sense of self since you're still in that MMM moment.

Moreover, to you the time that elapses between the Pause and the Stop matters none. It could be an eternity. Thus, the Stop is irrelevant. You simply continue to excitingly anticipate the next scene. For you, the MMM moment and thus the movie are essentially everlasting.

Meaning. The heavenly NEE experience is like the last scenario. This analogy likens this experience—involving an unconscious, dying state and a dead, after-life state—to a more fathomable one—involving a living, conscious state and a living, unconscious, dreamless state.

In the analogy, an NDE is like a movie. A dying person is like a movie viewer. An NEE heaven is like a MMM moment. In a deteriorating brain some physiological event within a “Dying with NDE” state “Pauses”, if only briefly, the NDE. (See again the NEE Theory Model.) Then, the imperceptible death “Stops” the NDE and moves the person unknowingly from the “Dying with NDE” state to the “After-life with NEE” state. (Unlike a movie, an NDE once “Paused” likely can never be “Resumed.”)

In Scenario 4, the MMM moment was the only thing you were aware of when Stop was hit. Similarly, your NEE heaven will be the only thing you’ll be aware of when you die. Again, this is because you’re not aware of your death. The condition of your body is irrelevant. For you, your NEE heaven is timeless.

Also, in Scenario 4, the time that elapsed between your MMM moment and the Stop mattered none. Similarly, the time that elapses between the last moment of your NDE and death matters none. It could be an eternity. Thus, death is irrelevant. You simply continue to excitingly anticipate the next moment. For you, the final moment of your NDE, your NEE heaven, is essentially everlasting.

Comments

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Rodric Anthony Johnson

2 years agofrom Peoria, Arizona

Jesse, I have experienced a lifetime in a dream before I realized that I was dreaming. Time has no meaning linearly in the dream state. Some times my dreams seems so short, but in reality 8 hours have passed. It works in both directions, even with passing out and dreaming. I was on a trip home from Utah when I passed out for a few minutes. I awoke with the feeling that hours had went by, but not even three minutes had passed.

when in a dream state, our minds are not limited to our perception of time as much.

AUTHOR

Bryon Ehlmann

2 years agofrom Tallahassee, Florida

To tim,

First, no one came up with the natural afterlife "to avoid facing death." It was logically deduced from the phenomena of near-death experiences, our human perception of time, and the near certainty of a dying person not being able to realize the moment of their death.

Second, with the natural afterlife you will be dead, only you just won't know it.

I find it interesting that someone would rather believe in a forever "nothingness" with death, which is what I think you mean (but of which you can never really be assured), rather than believe in the possibility with death of experiencing (relatively speaking) a forever, sensually and emotionally extremely pleasurable moment.

tim

2 years ago

The things people come up with to avoid facing death. And andways, this is an utterly horrifying conception of an afterlife. Eternal stasis? Wtf? I would rather be dead.

Jesse

2 years ago

Ok, everyone, I have been troubled and exited by this theory since age 11. I am 41 now so for 30 years I have been trying to explain the concept to friends, family and acquaintances, who usually just shrug their shoulders and say 'that's very interesting' and probably never think about it again. Perhaps one must experience it one's self but here goes:

In the summer of '86 I was away at camp in the mountains of central Pennsylvania. It was my third year at camp Susque and I had made friends from cities near and far with whom I would spend those same two weeks each year.

One afternoon, in the absence of a camp councillor, we were playing a 'game' which was to breathe deeply and rapidly in a crouching position, then stand quickly at which point you would be bear hugged and lose consciousness. (do not attempt this as it causes lack of oxygen and could result in brain damage) When it was done to me, I had an insignificant dream filled with everything one could expect a child of 11 to dream. The dream lasted roughly 20 minutes. When I came to, I was a little disturbed at the fact that I had been laying vulnerable to all these pranksters for so long. They were in a circle looking down at me looking up at them. I sat up and asked how long I'd been out. "A second or two," was the answer given. Basically I had lost consciousness and was lain down on the ground and immediately came to. How then did I have a vivid dream which lasted at least 20 minutes? I didn't believe it but everyone else who was made to lose consciousness reacted the same; they were lain down and immediately came to a second or two later.

The dream itself was nothing significant or meaningful. The dream was not what haunted me and still does. The 'time out of time' was the real zinger here and even as a boy I knew that what I had experienced held significant implications. If mere moments of real time can equal 20 minutes of experienced time, then barring some lawful ratio of the two, which I seriously doubt exists, why couldn't a nano-second last an eternity? And so as I grew so did my theory of this phenomenon, which I am only now finding is coined, unofficially, the Natural Afterlife, and it postulates that at the point of death, one experiences something similar to what I experienced 30 years ago, but for a singular, personal eternity. I have refined my thoughts and aspects over the years, but the core value remains the same -- a timeless moment outside of observable, communal time.

All of this bodes well with one of my earliest childhood fears, one from Sunday school: 'what if I don't like Heaven?' I should note that I am Agnostic, I have my own personal beliefs on 'God' and Creation but they are wholly irrelevant regarding the concept of the Natural Afterlife which can exist with or without belief, Christian, Hindu or Atheist.

Anyplace, no matter how wonderful will not be liked equally by everyone. If Heaven is indeed made of Gold and you are an Aurophobic, wouldn't Heaven actually be Hell to you? How can people from 3000 years ago and people from today go to the same place and call it 'Paradise'? The afterlife must be personal to each individual and what greater gift from a creator of sentient beings than to give them each a personal afterlife of their own design? That IS Heaven. Even Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions," I believe this is alluding to 'Heavens' within 'Heaven', or personal afterlives.

Without our physical existence, we could not 'become' who we each become. We need to live in this Universe, on this Earth with others to become the people we are. We are here to learn of life and love, triumph and defeat, unity and loneliness, etc. and to interact with other's and to see the world, as much of it as you can and even to experience vicariously through other's by mediums such as books and movies, all this is fodder for your eternal Never Ending Dream (NED). It is said that we never forget anything we've observed, it is there and will come out in your NED. Experience here today and you will be able to experience it over and over and manipulate and mix it all as you wish in your afterlife just as you do in your dreams. Dreams are fragmented afterlife-like experiences.

The problem in explaining this to others, I've found, is that they can't get their head around the continuation after death, which admittedly is an obtuse concept. To an observer at your funeral, you are dead and in short order you will be dust. How then are you in an afterlife? Because the moment before your brain is destroyed, time stops being linear to you and you alone. You are where I was at 11; outside of time, experiencing your inner Universe forever. Your friends and family are there as YOU know them. Places you've been will be the places you can go and in time, I believe that you will create your own 'Heaven', if you like tropical islands you will have one. The possibilities will be unlimited and forever. I still have questions myself and am not a scientist, just an ordinary working guy, but I usually find plausible answer to my own questions. Such as: 'This all sounds good if you are, say, dying in a hospital bed or bleeding to death, but what if death comes suddenly like in a head on collision or you are blown up in an explosion? What then?" I like to think on those scenarios like this: The Universe came to it's present size in a million million million million millionths of a second (seriously, check Google!) and so I think, for those skeptics out there, that a few nano-seconds of perhaps the deformation of your skull in an automobile accident or an explosion for which you'd have no hope of considering in real time, that your brain may well be aware of it's impending doom in micro-time and you will go to that hidden place I've been talking about.

My experience is true to me, has led me down a path that I am quite comfortable in and in such a way as to not diminish anyone else's belief. I think that religion is a man-made construct from something which we all inherently know whether we admit it or not, that being that 1. there is a creator and 2. we are eternal. Hell was invented to scare us into behaving a certain way although I do believe that if you fill your life here with immoral and unethical behavior, that it will be reflected in your NDE. Your constructs of people will not be as pleasant as someone who has been kind. It is known that a thief worries about being stolen from and a liar thinks everyone is telling lies. We project our ways onto those we meet. I do not lie or steal and am trusting to a fault because of it; I just don't think people want to lie or steal because I don't and since we all hold to the belief that we are the norm, we believe that most other's are too. So in closing, do good. Be kind to others. Meet as many people and make as many connections with them as possible. Learn, read and experience. Travel. Love. Become someone with whom you'd want to spend an eternity. Personally, I believe that God will be there, and I believe this phenomenon is by his design, but in theory you don't have to believe in God to get there, I think it'll just happen for you anyway and after a time you will realize his existence.

AUTHOR

Bryon Ehlmann

3 years agofrom Tallahassee, Florida

To Erik,

Despite the fact that you know that your dreams are not true, in how many of them do you say to yourself: "This is a dream and thus isn't true!"? Also, it's not the case that in your natural afterlife "you'll eventually realize" anything because the natural afterlife is timeless. That is, there's just no time for "eventually."

Erik

3 years ago

So now that you know this information, if the theory is true, in your afterlife you'll eventually realize you're dead and none of what you see is real. And then you'll have an eternal feeling of dread.

Very beautiful and interesting idea, but I prefer the parallel universe one, and timelessness. Everything happening at the one 'time' and each one of us creating our own version of it, and being part of the universe at the same time. An ongoing creative process with the option of personal expansion, learning, and perhaps reincarnating, if you feel you are strong enough to deal with a physical world. Personally speaking I need a very long rest. Look forward to reading more from you.

AUTHOR

Bryon Ehlmann

4 years agofrom Tallahassee, Florida

To Zsuzsa:

Sorry you had to retype your comment. A comment on a HubPages article is often not posted until the author has had a chance to approve it. Notifications of comments are sent to authors via e-mail. I only periodically check my e-mail.

Many people who commit suicide are not necessarily “in the darkness of thoughts” as you put it. Often, they’re very grateful for the life they have lived and are now simply content to die. They’re just in pain, feel they are no longer able to lead enjoyable and productive lives, or feel they have become a burden to their loved ones.

Anyway, even if a person is not “in their ‘heavenly’ joyous state of mind” when committing suicide and losing consciousness, his/her final dream can still be heavenly.

Zsuzsa

4 years ago

I can't see my comment so I am retyping it. What about the people who died by suicide ? They certainly arent in their "heavenly" joyous state of mind. Does it mean that they are stuck in the darkness of thoughts? If their life "paused" (ended) with pain and sorrow and thoughts of riddens, their last memory carry forward as negative, struggling overwhelmed thoughts ?

AUTHOR

Bryon Ehlmann

5 years agofrom Tallahassee, Florida

The theory of a natural afterlife does not support the supernatural phenomena you discuss. However, I don't view this as "problems" and "pitfalls" with the theory. The assumptions you make are HUGE. Contact between the living and the dead and "individual spiritual progress" in an afterlife are not scientifically proven facts. It is also interesting to note, since you mention the Bible, that they are not even in the mainstream of Biblical interpretation.

Susan

5 years ago

Although the theory is certainly interesting, it does seem to have some problems.

Let us suppose that the 'dead' can contact the living. How does a dead person in a state of NED actually contact a living person? How can such a contact be made from an NED if this lies outside of time? It is impossible to see how the dead can access the living in any way if this theory is true.

If the NED is merely a static state frozen in a moment of time, then how can individual spiritual progress be made within this state?

The theory also lies on the assumption that one does not know that one has died or is dead. But plenty of communications coming through mediums seem to tell us otherwise, that those who have passed on most certainly know they have died.

It seems that this theory has pitfalls, and does not provide adequate explanation for other phenomena relating to after death experiences and communication.

However, it's strength lies in the assumption that time really is relative to the individual, and that one moment can seem like eternity. As the old Bible saying goes ..."To God, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day".

Alma

5 years ago

Almost everyday, I have a prominent dream I fulfill in the near or the far future, sometimes they are scary but most of them are great telling me I will be a successful human being loved praised and admired by everyone I meet except religious fanatic believers.

I haven't dared to tell people about my dreams and the "messages" I receive from "God" ( I believe in God but not the religious one) because they would think I am a freak but now with this theory I start to feel much better because that means I have grasped the NED too soon. All I am doing now, in my human"time", is repeating the night dreams, and when all dreams are done, I will leave this body that I take care of as much as I can, to join billions of never ending dreamers...I will see all my loved one forever as I do in some of my night dreams....I will laugh forever.

I am a doctor specialized in diagnostic and interventional radiology(English is my third language).

Rodric Anthony Johnson

5 years agofrom Peoria, Arizona

This is an interesting concept, but It was hard to hold my attention because it is so long. I just could not buy into the ideal of the theory. I still think the hub is interesting, just long.

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We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.

Conversion Tracking Pixels

We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.

Statistics

Author Google Analytics

This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)

Comscore

ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)

Amazon Tracking Pixel

Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)